Ecological Succession

Question 1

What is Ecological succession?

Answer 1

The process in which disturbances may cause gradual replacement by other species

Question 2

What is Primary succession?

Answer 2

lifeless area with no soil, and almost no vegetation or organisms. Occurs after major disaster

Question 3

What is secondary succession

Answer 3

disturbance has destroyed an existing community but has left soil intact (forest fires, floods, severe storms)

Question 4

What are some abiotic factors

Answer 4

Energy, soil characteristics and water

Question 5

Explain energy flow

Answer 5

passage of energy through components of ecosystem

Question 6

Explain chemical cycling

Answer 6

the use and reuse of chemical elements within and between the ecosystems such as carbon and nitrogen

Question 7

What is Primary Production

Answer 7

rate at which an ecosystems producers convert solar energy to chemical energy stored in biomass

Question 8

What is biomass

Answer 8

the mass of living organic material in an ecosystem

Question 9

What are 3 biogeochemical cycles

Answer 9

carbon, phosphorus and nitrogen

Question 10

Explain the nitrogen cycle

Answer 10

nitrogen is converted into many forms, consecutively passing from the atmosphere into the soil, to organisms and back to the atmosphere

Question 11

What is Nitrogen Fixation

Answer 11

bacteria converts N2 gas to ammonia and nitrates which are used by plants

Question 12

What is a biome

Answer 12

a major terrestrial or aquatic life zone

Question 13

explain aquatic biomes

Answer 13

75% of earths surface is covered by water which is determined by salinity/physical factors

Question 14

What are the Aquatic Biomes?

Answer 14

Freshwater (salinity >1% salinity, lakes , streams, rivers, wetlands)
Marine (~3% salinity, oceans, tidal zones, coral reefs, estuaries)

Question 15

Explain Freshwater biomes

Answer 15

Cover less than 1% of earth
contain 0.0% of all water and 6% of species
(used for: drinking, crop irrigation, sanitation and industry)

Question 16

Explain zones of lake and ponds

Answer 16

Photic zone: light available for photosynthesis
Aphotic zone: light levels to low
Benthic zone: bottom of all aquatic biomes

Question 17

Explain Rivers and streams

Answer 17

Source of streams: clear and cold fast moving, low in nutrients

Downstream: murky and warm, slower and higher in nutrients

Question 18

explain wetlands

Answer 18

transitional biome between aquatic and terrestrial one

supports the growth of aquatic plants and have very high diversity

Question 19

Explain the zones of Marine Biomes

Answer 19

Seafloor is known as the benthic zone

In shallow areas, submerged continents (continental shelfs) the photic zone includes pelagic and benthic regions)

Question 20

What is the pelagic and photic zone in marine biomes

Answer 20

Pelagic zone included zooplankton, fish and marine mammals

Photic zone extends beyond 200m down, sometimes called the twilight zone

Question 21

What is estuaries

Answer 21

transition between river and the ocean, the salinity ranges between fresh-ocean water

Most productive areas on earth

Question 22

What is the intertidal zone

Answer 22

ocean meets land, shore is pounded by waves during high tide, bottom is exposed to sun and dying winds during low tidea

Question 23

What threatens etuaries

Answer 23

Landfills, nutrient pollution, contamination, alteration of freshwater inflow, and non native species